YOU ASK:

Will travel insurance cover Medevac costs?

WE ANSWER:

Medevac costs refer to medical evacuations costs in case you need to be transported by chartered plane, helicopter or ambulance to a place where you can receive ample and immediate medical treatment. This will also include the costs of medical personnel and medical equipment used during your transport. It can also involve the costs in bringing you home. This may mean having to book a block of seats in a commercial flight.

When buying travel insurance, it will be helpful to see whether it also covers medevac or medical evacuations. You see, most local health insurance coverage (including Medicare) will not cover these expenses.

Medevac's first aim is to transfer you to the nearest place where you can get stabilized before you are transported back home, if necessary. If there are no appropriate and adequately equipped hospitals nearby, Medevac will first try to stabilize you before they schedule additional transportation to bring you to the nearest hospital. Medevac travel insurance covers you for serious medical emergencies while you are at least 150 miles away from your home.

Things to Consider about Medevac Travel Insurance

Although you may think that Medevac or medical evacuation services are quite rare and may not be needed, in the event that you will need it, you will discover to your dismay that the costs are very, very expensive.

However, you should note that there are some countries and areas that are not covered by Medevac benefits. This excludes countries like Afghanistan and Iraq.

When choosing a travel insurance provider, you should check whether you can easily contact them in case of emergency. This means that they should have a 24/7 hotline that you can call to get immediate assistance.

When something happens, you should notify your travel insurance company as soon as possible. They may have existing deals with Medevac providers which can transport you for a lower cost. Calling your travel insurance company will prevent your claim from being denied later on. It is also important to remember that it is the insurance company or the evacuation provider who will arrange for the transfer, and not you.

If you are not able to make the call to the insurance company, be sure to have a companion make the call. In the event that you have to arrange for emergency medical transportation arrangements by yourself, this may not be payable under the policy and you should be aware of this.

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